Bahrain residents are warned over vehicle thieves

Manama, July 31, 2014

Residents of Juffair, Bahrain, are being urged to be on their guard for sneak thieves after a young woman had her motorbike stolen from her home in less than two minutes.

The crime took place on the last Saturday of Ramadan when a man, described by the building's watchman as a young Bahraini, found his way into the ground level car park of the Terraces of Juffair building and started sizing up vehicles.

"You can see him on the camera as he walks around inside, tries one motorbike and then comes around to the other side," the watchman told our sister publication, Gulf Daily News (GDN).

"He goes off screen and the next time you see him he's driving off on the woman's bike.

"I don't know how he got it started, but the whole operation took just two minutes," he added.

"It wasn't an expensive bike, it's probably worth less than BD500, but it was my only way of getting around," she said.

"I can't get to work now and I'm relying on other people for transport, which makes life very hard.

"The worst thing is that I hadn't even finished paying for it - there are still two instalments left."

Ms Kimsey, who works as a chef at La Vinoteca Barcelona in Adliya, said the crime was all the more upsetting because of the time of year it took place.

"I'm quite new to Bahrain and this was my first Ramadan here," she said.

"I thought it was meant to be a time of giving and sharing - not of stealing and preying on innocent people."

Ms Kimsey is appealing for anyone who might have seen her bike, registration number 13227, to email her on chefmariakimsey@gmail.com

"If anyone could help me that would be incredible - I don't have much to offer as a reward, but I could cook someone a really good meal," she said. "All I can say to other people is don't make my mistake - if you have a bike then put a really big chain on it and if you have a car never leave it unlocked, you can't be sure who's watching you and who wants your things for themselves." - TradeArabia News Service